Bipartisan Bill Introduced by Riley & Kennedy to Assist Rural Schools Hire Well-Trained STEM Teachers

New York Democratic Congressman Josh Riley (NY-19) along with Republican Congressman Mike Kennedy (UT-03) have introduced a bipartisan bill titled “Boosting the Rural STEM Pipeline Act.” The bill will assist rural schools in hiring well-trained STEM teachers. STEM is a teacher who teaches within the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, according to the Graduate Programs for Educators.

In a release by Riley, the bill will strengthen the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. This program provides National Science Foundation grants to colleges to train STEM majors to become STEM teachers in high needed school districts, particularly rural districts.

“For too long, rural schools have been told to make do with less,” Rep Riley said. “Not anymore. Students in our small towns have talent, drive, and big dreams, and they deserve the same opportunities as everyone else, but too many rural schools are struggling to recruit and retain enough STEM teachers. Our bill fixes that problem by supporting STEM teachers who work in the rural communities that politicians have overlooked for too long. Our kids deserve a fair shot and our teachers deserve a helping hand — and I’ll be in their corner every day to make sure they have both.”

According to Riley, rural K-12 schools are in need for more STEM teachers, but colleges which provide training for these types of teachers have not been able to fully participate in the federal Noyce program. Noyce has a requirement that colleges must contribute matching funds to receive a grant. Many rural colleges though, do not have the budgets to meet the requirements.

“As a representative of Utah’s vast rural communities, I understand the vital importance of ensuring our rural communities play a key role in America’s fast-growing STEM economy, Rep. Kennedy said. “The Boosting the Rural STEM Pipeline Act reflects a strong, bipartisan commitment to placing high quality STEM teachers in rural school districts to inspire the next generation of innovators. By expanding the pipeline of future STEM educators, we’re taking a practical step to invest in rural classrooms and secure the future success of our students.”

In 2022, the CHIPS and Science Act temporarily removed the matching requirement, Riley says. Once that barrier was lifted, additional rural colleges began applying for and receiving Noyce grants, and more of their graduates are now teaching in rural classrooms. In the most recent funding round, several universities and colleges in New York’s 19th Congressional District including SUNY Oneonta, Binghamton University, and Ithaca College. The grants totaled just over $2.5 million.

The bipartisan bill is supported by the State University of New York System, the New York State School Boards Association, New York State United Teachers, and the Center for Excellence in Education, an advisor to the Congressional STEM Education Caucus, of which Congressman Riley is a member.